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Welcome to the official website of the International Association
of Advisors in Philanthropy (AiP).Whether you’re a consumer looking for advice
on philanthropy or an advisor to families on charitable matters you have come
to the right place. It’s with great
excitement I write you this letter as your newest AiP President. This is an honor I don’t and won’t take
lightly as the AiP community has been part of my family for two decades.

My late brother, Scott Fithian, was one of the founding members of
this great organization and AiP recognized Scott’s contributions to the world
of philanthropy when they created the Fithian
Service Award, the highest ranking award given by the association to those
with a distinguished career in service to philanthropy.

I’m sharing this with you because it’s what drives me as I think
about the impact AiP can have on the philanthropic community. I continue to be
surprised when I meet people working in philanthropy who have never heard of AiP
and I am sure many of you run into those very same conversations in your
communities. We can’t change this
reality overnight, but we can make substantial strides towards growing our
awareness in the marketplace which will generate opportunities for AiP and all
of its members.

To do this we have an amazing board, but that in itself is
simply not enough. We need to enlist the
help of our great membership and so I ask of you the following:

Get involved in a committee. We have several amazing committees and your
involvement doesn’t have to require a lot of time. Please visit the web site to review the
committees or contact Sheila Gidley at the AiP office sheila@advisorsinphilanthropy.org (312) 252-2501 to inquire. Feel free to reach out
to me directly as well for any guidance todd@think-legacy.com

Urge your colleagues to get connected. As I mentioned earlier we all know people who
would benefit from being a member of AiP and in turn our membership community
benefits as well. We meet folks at other
events or conferences who are not aware of AiP. Maybe it starts by simply
urging them to attend the annual conference.

Share your knowledge and wisdom:
Throughout the year there are opportunities to present and share ideas
through our webinar series, the annual conference and last but no least through
the AiP social media pages. We are going
to continue to look for opportunities to increase the awareness for AiP and its
members

The
AiP community is a broad and collaborative community consisting of
philanthropic consultants, financial advisors, accountants, fundraisers,
lawyers, trust officers and resource providers that share a common interest in
advancing philanthropy. As a fellow
member of AiP one of the great values we receive is the openness and desire the
group has to share. You can see
relationships transform right in front of your eyes from colleague to friend and
then ultimately family. For those of you
who are not currently members, I ask you one question: If philanthropy is truly your passion and
your work, where do you turn for advice and guidance?

Our
annual conference will take place this April 27-29, 2015 in Chicago, IL. Please
join us for this outstanding event. The
2013 conference hosted an amazing line up of speakers featuring an array of
topics that were both timely and cutting edge. Laura Malone has stepped up
again as our 2015 Conference Committee Chair and so you should probably just
book your trip today because it’s going to be the one meeting you can’t afford
to miss, especially if you are a philanthropic advisor.